For monitoring, the closest SQL Server-focused alternatives are SolarWinds SQL Sentry and Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager; if you already run Datadog, its Database Monitoring add-on covers several engines. For schema compare, check the free options first: SSMS 22 now has a generally available Schema Compare, and the VS Code MSSQL extension compares databases, .dacpac files and SQL projects; dbForge Schema Compare and Data Compare are the closest paid like-for-like tools. For migrations, the free Flyway Community edition is itself an option, otherwise Liquibase (rollback in the free edition), Atlas (declarative, schema as code) or Bytebase (a review and approval workflow in a web UI). For test data, dbForge Data Generator replaces SQL Data Generator, and Tonic Structural covers masking and subsetting across engines.
Redgate Software is best known for SQL Server tools. Its current product list includes Redgate Monitor (formerly SQL Monitor), SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare, the Flyway migration tool, SQL Prompt, SQL Data Generator, Redgate Test Data Manager, SQL Clone, SQL Provision and Redgate Data Modeler (the former Vertabelo). Several of these are sold together as SQL Toolbelt Essentials, which Redgate lists as 11 tools including SQL Compare Pro, SQL Data Compare Pro, SQL Prompt, SQL Source Control and SQL Data Generator.
People look for alternatives to one Redgate product at a time, usually for one of these reasons. The facts come from Redgate's own pages; the reading of them is our editorial view.
- Per-user subscription cost. SQL Toolbelt Essentials is sold as a per-user annual subscription. Teams that use only one or two of the tools in it, typically schema compare, often ask whether a single cheaper tool or a free Microsoft tool will do.
- Free tools have caught up for some jobs. SSMS 22.10.2 (28 September 2026) made Schema Compare and the Database DevOps workload (SQL database projects) generally available, and the VS Code MSSQL extension has its own Schema Compare.
- Engine coverage. SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare are SQL Server tools; Redgate sells separate compare products for Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL. Teams with mixed estates may prefer one tool across engines.
- Flyway edition limits. Redgate's editions page lists Flyway Community (free) and Flyway Enterprise (quote only, 28-day trial). Undo migrations, dry runs and drift detection are documented as paid features, which pushes some teams to Liquibase or Atlas.
- Licence and hosting preferences. Some teams want an open source tool they can self-host and audit, or a SaaS monitor instead of a self-hosted one. Redgate Monitor now offers both self-hosted and SaaS editions, so this reason applies less than it used to.
For head-to-head pages, see Redgate Monitor vs SQL Sentry, Redgate Monitor vs SolarWinds DPA, Datadog vs Redgate Monitor and Flyway vs Liquibase.
Quick picks
Generally available since SSMS 22.10.2, free, and compares databases, .dacpac files and SQL projects.
Standalone schema and data compare for SQL Server with a command line for automation, sold separately or as a bundle.
Self-hosted, SQL Server-specific monitoring licensed per monitored target.
Rollback by tag, count and date is in the free Community edition (now under FSL-1.1-ALv2).
Declarative schema definitions and planned migrations, with an Apache 2.0 Community Edition for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite.
How we chose
We split the guide into four jobs that Redgate products cover and considered, for each, the tools most often evaluated against the Redgate product. Monitoring: SolarWinds SQL Sentry, Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager, Datadog Database Monitoring, Quest Spotlight and SolarWinds DPA. Schema and data compare: dbForge Schema Compare and Data Compare, SSMS 22 Schema Compare, the VS Code MSSQL extension and SQL database projects with SqlPackage. Migrations and DevOps: Flyway Community and OSS, Liquibase, Bytebase and Atlas. Test data: dbForge Data Generator, Tonic Structural and Perforce Delphix.
To be included, a product had to do the same job as the Redgate product, be sold or actively developed in October 2026, and document its editions, licence or supported databases on an official page. Quest Spotlight and SolarWinds DPA are covered in the SQL Sentry alternatives guide and the DPA alternatives guide instead. Perforce Delphix is left out because its product page did not let us confirm supported databases or editions. SQL Prompt (code completion and formatting) is out of scope; see the best SQL Server GUI tools.
The order is not a ranking: entries are grouped by job, in the order monitoring, compare, migrations, test data. Where a price is quoted it is one dated example from the vendor's own page.
At a glance
| Tool | Replaces | Price | Engines | Hosting | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SolarWinds SQL Sentry | Redgate Monitor | Paid subscription, per monitored target | SQL Server, Azure SQL, SSAS | Self-hosted | SQL Server only |
| Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager | Redgate Monitor | Paid, per instance | SQL Server, Azure SQL, Amazon RDS | Self-hosted, agentless | No public prices |
| Datadog Database Monitoring | Redgate Monitor | Paid, per database host | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB and more | SaaS with an agent | Needs the Datadog platform |
| dbForge Schema Compare and Data Compare | SQL Compare, SQL Data Compare | Paid subscription | SQL Server, Azure SQL | Windows desktop | Windows only |
| SSMS 22 Schema Compare | SQL Compare | Free | SQL Server, Azure SQL | Windows desktop | No data compare |
| SQL database projects and SqlPackage | SQL Compare, SQL Source Control | Free | SQL Server, Azure SQL, Fabric SQL | Cross-platform (.NET, VS Code) | State-based model to learn |
| Flyway Community and OSS | Flyway Enterprise | Free | 50+ databases | CLI, Docker, build plugins | No undo or drift detection |
| Liquibase | Flyway | Free Community; paid Secure | 65+ databases | CLI, Docker, build plugins | Non-OSI licence from 5.0 |
| Bytebase | Flyway plus review workflow | Free Community; paid Pro and Enterprise | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle and more | Self-hosted or cloud | A platform to run, not just a CLI |
| Atlas | Flyway, SQL Compare (schema as code) | Free Starter; paid Pro | Community: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite | CLI, cloud registry | SQL Server needs the non-open source build |
| dbForge Data Generator | SQL Data Generator | Paid subscription | SQL Server (other editions for MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL) | Windows desktop | Generates data, does not mask production copies |
| Tonic Structural | Redgate Test Data Manager | Paid, by quote | SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, Db2 and more | Cloud or self-hosted | No public prices |
SolarWinds SQL Sentry
Job: monitoring. SQL Sentry is SolarWinds' SQL Server monitoring product, from its 2021 acquisition of SentryOne. SolarWinds lists SQL Server (including on Linux and on Amazon RDS and EC2), Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, SQL Server Analysis Services and Windows as monitored targets, with Top SQL, blocking and deadlock analysis, storage forecasting and Advisory Conditions for alerting. The current release in its documentation is 2026.3, released on 1 September 2026, which added SSAS targets to the web Portal.
SolarWinds' documentation says SQL Sentry is licensed per monitored target, that the Portal, clients and monitoring services need no extra licence, and that since version 2024.4 the Database Self Hosted (DBSH) licence can be used in either SQL Sentry or Database Performance Analyzer. Compared with Redgate Monitor, it stays focused on SQL Server and the Microsoft data platform, while Redgate Monitor also covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle and MongoDB. See Redgate Monitor vs SQL Sentry.
- Monitors the Microsoft data platform only; PostgreSQL or MySQL need another tool.
- Self-hosted only: you run the monitoring service and its SQL Server repository database.
- Prices are by quote rather than listed.
Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager
Job: monitoring. Idera's SQL Diagnostic Manager monitors SQL Server on premises, Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance, SQL Server on Amazon RDS and Google Cloud, and VMware and Hyper-V hosts. Idera lists waits, blocking chains, deadlocks, tempdb pressure, I/O latency, fragmentation, sessions and replication health among the data it collects, and describes collection as agentless.
Idera prices it per instance and points out that the monitoring repository is yours, with no per-GB ingest fees. That makes it a like-for-like swap for a self-hosted Redgate Monitor installation that only watches SQL Server.
- SQL Server family only; Idera sells MySQL monitoring as a separate product line.
- No public price on the product page.
- Self-hosted: you maintain the repository database and its retention.
Datadog Database Monitoring
Job: monitoring. Datadog Database Monitoring (DBM) is an add-on to the Datadog observability platform. Datadog documents support for self-hosted and managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, Amazon DocumentDB and ClickHouse, collecting normalised query metrics, query samples, explain plans and blocking information through the Datadog Agent.
It suits teams that want database data next to application traces and infrastructure metrics, rather than a separate DBA tool. As listed on Datadog's pricing page on 7 October 2026, DBM costs USD 70 per database host per month billed annually (USD 84 month to month). See Datadog vs Redgate Monitor.
- SaaS only, so monitoring data leaves your network.
- Per-host pricing on top of other Datadog products; costs grow with the size of the estate.
- Fewer SQL Server-specific DBA views (for example Agent jobs or estate-level backup checks) than a dedicated SQL Server monitor, in our assessment.
dbForge Schema Compare and Data Compare
Job: schema and data compare. Devart's dbForge Schema Compare for SQL Server compares live databases, native backups, snapshots and script folders and generates synchronisation scripts; dbForge Data Compare does the same for table data. Both work with SQL Server (including on Linux), Azure SQL Database and Amazon RDS for SQL Server, run standalone or as SSMS add-ins, and include a command-line interface for CI/CD pipelines.
As listed on Devart's product pages on 7 October 2026, each starts at USD 239.95 a year, and the dbForge Compare Bundle with both starts at USD 299.95 a year. Devart also sells them inside the larger dbForge SQL Tools pack. The dbForge review covers the dbForge Studio IDE, which also includes compare features.
- Windows only; Devart documents dbForge tools on macOS and Linux only through CrossOver.
- SQL Server family only in these editions; other engines need separate dbForge products.
- Trial length is not stated on the compare product pages.
SSMS 22 Schema Compare
Job: schema compare. Microsoft added Schema Compare to SQL Server Management Studio 22 as a preview and made it generally available in SSMS 22.10.2, released on 28 September 2026, alongside the Database DevOps workload for SQL database projects. It compares databases, .dacpac files and SQL projects, and SSMS can open saved .scmp comparisons and publish profiles from Solution Explorer.
For a DBA who uses SQL Compare a few times a month to check drift between environments, the free tool already installed on the workstation may be enough. It is built on Microsoft's DacFx engine, the same one used by SQL database projects and SqlPackage.
- No equivalent of SQL Data Compare for row-level data differences.
- Windows only.
- Newly generally available, so expect fewer options and less polish than a product that has done this job for many years (editorial).
SQL database projects and SqlPackage
Job: schema compare and database DevOps. A SQL database project declares each object once in a .sql file; building it produces a .dacpac, and SqlPackage's publish action calculates the difference against a target database and applies it. Microsoft recommends the SDK-style Microsoft.Build.Sql format for new work: it is generally available in VS Code and in preview in Visual Studio 2022, while Visual Studio 2026 supports only the original project format. The VS Code MSSQL extension adds a Schema Compare that compares databases, .dacpac files and SQL projects and can apply changes or generate a script.
This is Microsoft's free answer to SQL Compare plus SQL Source Control: a state-based model in which the project is the source of truth and the deployment script is generated. It works for SQL Server 2022 and later, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance and SQL database in Microsoft Fabric, according to Microsoft's documentation.
- SQL Server and Azure SQL family only.
- Generated deployments need review, and data-preserving changes such as renames need care (editorial).
- Project format support differs between VS Code, Visual Studio 2022 and Visual Studio 2026.
Read our SQL database projects and SqlPackage review · Official site
Flyway Community and OSS
Job: migrations. Before replacing Flyway, check whether the free editions cover you. Redgate lists Flyway Community as a free migrations tool for individual developers and education, and Flyway Enterprise (quote only, 28-day trial) for policy checks, script generation from Redgate's comparison engine, undo script generation, drift detection and change reports. Flyway OSS is built only from the open source engine, which the GitHub repository licenses under Apache 2.0; Community adds proprietary components and Flyway Desktop.
Versioned SQL migrations, repeatable migrations, the schema history table and the core commands (migrate, info, validate, repair, baseline) are in the free editions. See Flyway vs Liquibase for what each edition gates.
- No undo migrations, dry runs or drift detection; Redgate documents them as paid features.
- Redgate positions Community for individuals and education rather than teams.
- Enterprise prices are not published.
Liquibase
Job: migrations. Liquibase applies changesets from a changelog written in SQL, XML, YAML or JSON. Its free Community edition includes rollback to a tag, by count and by date, plus diff and generate-changelog, which are paid or absent in Flyway's free editions. Liquibase lists support for more than 65 databases.
Two changes matter for anyone switching. Since version 5.0 (announced 30 September 2025) Liquibase Community is licensed under FSL-1.1-ALv2, a source-available licence under which each release converts to Apache 2.0 after two years; 4.x releases stay Apache 2.0. The commercial product is now Liquibase Secure, sold as Starter, Team, Business and Enterprise plans with no published prices; Liquibase says each plan requires a Professional Services package. See Flyway vs Liquibase.
- FSL-1.1-ALv2 is not an OSI-approved open source licence; check it with your licence approvers.
- More concepts to learn (changesets, contexts, labels, preconditions) than Flyway.
- Targeted rollback, drift detection and policy checks need Liquibase Secure.
Bytebase
Job: database DevOps. Bytebase is a web-based change management and governance platform: developers submit schema changes, reviewers approve them, SQL lint rules check them, and Bytebase deploys them, with GitOps integration for GitHub and GitLab. Its repository lists PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, Redis, MariaDB, TiDB, Snowflake, ClickHouse and others. The code is MIT licensed except for directories covered by a separate enterprise licence.
As listed on Bytebase's pricing page on 7 October 2026, Community is free for up to 20 users and 10 database instances, Pro is USD 20 per user per month, and Enterprise is priced by quote with a yearly subscription. It overlaps with Flyway Enterprise's governance features rather than with a migration CLI.
- A server application to deploy and maintain, not a single command-line tool.
- Community limits of 20 users and 10 instances.
- Data masking, custom approval flows and enterprise SSO are Enterprise features.
Atlas
Job: migrations and schema compare. Atlas, from Ariga, lets you declare the desired schema (in SQL, HCL or from an ORM) and plans the migration needed to reach it, or works with versioned migration files. That combines the state-based approach of SQL Compare with versioned migrations.
Ariga publishes an Atlas Community Edition under Apache 2.0 that supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite. The standard Atlas binary is free to download under Ariga's own terms and adds SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake, Databricks, ClickHouse and others, plus migration linting and drift detection on paid plans. As listed on Atlas's pricing page on 7 October 2026, Pro starts at USD 9 per developer per month, with usage-based charges for CI/CD projects and monitored databases.
- SQL Server is not in the Apache 2.0 Community Edition.
- Linting, drift detection and advanced commands are paid.
- Usage-based charges for pipelines and monitored databases make costs harder to predict (editorial).
dbForge Data Generator
Job: test data. dbForge Data Generator for SQL Server is the closest like-for-like alternative to Redgate SQL Data Generator. Devart lists more than 200 meaningful generators (names, addresses, emails and so on), basic generators such as regular expressions, JSON and SQL queries, custom generators, support for all SQL Server data types and a command line for automation. Devart sells versions for MySQL and MariaDB, Oracle and PostgreSQL too.
As listed on Devart's product page on 7 October 2026, it starts at USD 199.95 a year, with a 30-day trial.
- Generates synthetic data; it does not mask or subset a copy of production as Redgate Test Data Manager does.
- Windows only.
- Each database engine is a separate product.
Tonic Structural
Job: test data. Redgate Test Data Manager discovers and classifies sensitive data, masks it and subsets SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and Oracle databases. Tonic Structural does the same kind of job: it de-identifies and subsets production data while keeping referential integrity. Its documentation lists connectors for MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server and Db2 for LUW, warehouses such as Snowflake, BigQuery and Redshift, and MongoDB and Salesforce.
Tonic also sells Tonic Fabricate (synthetic data from scratch) and Tonic Textual (unstructured text). It suits organisations whose test data work spans application databases and warehouses rather than SQL Server alone.
- No public pricing.
- Some connectors, such as Databricks and Iceberg, do not support subsetting, per Tonic's documentation.
- A platform to set up and govern, which is more than a small team generating sample rows needs (editorial).
When to stay with Redgate
Stay if you use several Redgate tools together. SQL Toolbelt Essentials bundles compare, data compare, SQL Prompt, source control, data generation, documentation and testing, all working inside SSMS; replacing it piece by piece means several vendors and more integration work. Redgate Monitor now offers SaaS as well as self-hosted editions and covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle and MongoDB as well as SQL Server, which removes two common reasons to leave. Flyway Enterprise's drift detection and policy checks also have few free equivalents.
Switch when one specific need is not met: you only need schema compare (try SSMS 22 or SQL database projects first), you need rollback in a free migration tool (Liquibase), you want declarative schema across engines (Atlas), you want an approval workflow for changes (Bytebase), or your monitoring is moving to an observability platform you already pay for (Datadog). Run the alternative alongside the Redgate tool for a release cycle before cancelling.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Redgate SQL Compare?
Yes. SSMS 22 includes Schema Compare, generally available since version 22.10.2 (28 September 2026), and the VS Code MSSQL extension has a Schema Compare that works with databases, .dacpac files and SQL projects. Neither replaces SQL Data Compare for row-level differences.
What is the closest alternative to Redgate SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare?
dbForge Schema Compare and dbForge Data Compare for SQL Server from Devart do the same jobs, run standalone or inside SSMS, and include a command line. They are Windows only.
Is Flyway free?
Flyway Community and Flyway OSS are free; the open source engine is Apache 2.0 licensed. Flyway Enterprise is paid and priced by quote, and Redgate documents undo migrations, dry runs and drift detection as paid features. See Flyway vs Liquibase.
What is Redgate Monitor called now, and what does it monitor?
Redgate Monitor was formerly SQL Monitor. Redgate lists support for SQL Server 2008 R2 and later, PostgreSQL 10 and later, Oracle 19c and later, MySQL 8.0 and later and MongoDB 6.0 and later, in Standard and Enterprise editions, self-hosted or SaaS.
What replaces Redgate SQL Data Generator?
For generating realistic rows in SQL Server, dbForge Data Generator is the closest equivalent. If you need masked, subsetted copies of production instead, compare Redgate Test Data Manager with Tonic Structural.
Is Liquibase still open source?
Liquibase Community 5.0 and later is under FSL-1.1-ALv2, a source-available licence that converts each release to Apache 2.0 after two years. Releases in the 4.x line remain Apache 2.0.
Sources
- Redgate products
- Redgate Monitor
- Redgate Monitor pricing
- SQL Toolbelt Essentials
- Redgate SQL Compare
- Redgate Flyway editions
- Redgate Test Data Manager documentation
- SolarWinds SQL Sentry
- SQL Sentry license management
- Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager
- Datadog Database Monitoring documentation
- Datadog pricing list
- dbForge Schema Compare for SQL Server
- dbForge Data Compare for SQL Server
- dbForge Data Generator for SQL Server
- SSMS 22 release notes
- What are SQL database projects? (Microsoft Learn)
- Schema Compare in the MSSQL extension for VS Code
- Liquibase pricing
- Liquibase Community licence change to FSL
- Bytebase pricing
- Bytebase repository and licence
- Atlas pricing
- Atlas Community Edition
- Tonic Structural data connectors
Checked October 2026.
How we research these guides: our editorial method.